Major Comedy Moves billed for laughs
Nnasaretha Kgamanyane | Friday October 20, 2017 14:26
Called Major Comedy Moves as a collective, the producers bring Fresh Comedy Nights, which is expected to treat comedy lovers to nothing but fresh acts and material. The event will be held at Multicuisine at Zambezi Towers on October 26, 2017.
The event coordinator, Gaolathe Kediemetse, said the comedy night would be headlined by Prins Virgil from South Africa, Zimbabwean Ntando Van Moyo and Monate Aromat from Francistown.
“Prins is the hottest South African breakthrough comedy act. He has won several comedy competitions, including the Jokenation International Comedy Competition, which led to performances at the Montreux International Comedy Festival in Switzerland, Swaziland International Comedy Festival and the Busan International Comedy Festival in South Korea. In 2016 Prins was nominated for two Savanna Comics Choice Awards, going on to win the Breakthrough Act of the Year award,” he said.
He added that Prins produced three successful collaboration shows at the National Arts Festival and is currently touring his first one-man show ‘Unnecessary’. Prins’ comedy material had been described as innovative, playful and funny for the whole family, naughty but nice, transcending gender, race, culture, religion and international borders.
Kediemetse also described that Augustus ‘Monate Aromat’ Phillimon was a thoughtful and aware comic with innovative punchlines that made him scoop the third position at the 2017 President’s Day Comedy Competitions. His funny, imaginative routines and good-humoured taunts are perfect for any audience or event.
“Aromat is one of the most fearlessly funny comics working today, having organised monthly events in Francistown. Ntando Van Moyo is a two-time National Arts Merit Awards nominee in Zimbabwe. He’s the founder of Bulawayo’s first comedy club, Umahlekisa, which has managed to hold shows every month at Rainbow Hotel. He has extended an invitation to Botswana comedians to come perform at the club. The General, as Moyo is now known in comedy circles, has performed at the One-Hour of Comedy at Intwasa Arts Festival, Zimbabwe Comedy Festival in Harare and has performed in South Africa, Namibia, Swaziland and Europe,” he said.
The show also features Crip Michaels from Selebi Phikwe and Legusty from Mochudi. There will be performances from the visually-impaired comedians in the likes of Thapelo Malani of Maitengwe and Phenyo The Master.
Last September The Master was invited as one of the select few African comedians to represent Botswana at the biggest comedy gong events in Africa, the Savanna Comics Choice Awards. He has performed internationally at ZeroChill Comedy in Swaziland, Mahikeng Comedy Jam, Indigenous Food and Comedy Festival in Johannesburg and Lesotho Comedy Remedy where he got rave reviews. He previously got a standing ovation at the monthly ‘Tips and Friends’ event in Pretoria.
“The event will present fresh comedians for our audience who have been supporting us and also develop local comedians through working with international ones who can in turn host our local comics in the in their respective countries. The international comedians will also workshop local comics and share ideas on collaboration,” he said.
Kediemetse explained that their main objective is to see standup comedy growing in Botswana and as part of entertainment. He said they would also contribute to positively influence the lives of the comedians.
He also pointed out that laughter provides so many medical benefits, so the event also contributes to the patron’s well-being. He said laughter boosts the immune system.
“Laughter decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, thus improving your resistance to disease. Laughter triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals. Endorphins promote an overall sense of well-being and can even temporarily relieve pain,” he said.